Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-05-26

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This committee, about which We have
heard 20 much from The Gazette, was .
very wonderful affair, indeed, but II never
issued any such tables as the above, The
law under which Il was acting contem
plates that the committee shall inquire
into all the doings OF the Commissioners,
into their manner of transacting the pub
lie business, and shall examine into and
report upon the legality of the expendi>
lures Of the public moneys made under
their direction, and contemplstes that
the investigation shall. as 1t were, assist
the Commissioners 10 understanding
their duties under the law. Instead of
inquiring into the allowances made other
better paid county officers, into station
cry accounts, into their doiugs in con
nection with building contracts, and all
the various purposes for which money
was paid from the county treasury. this
wonderful committee spent the winter In
determining whether the Commissioners
had got a few dollars more than the wri
ter of the report thought they we're en-
titled to-and then made q mistake Of
several hundred dollars. according TO the
way the Gazette puts IL. But, as usual,
the Gazette is dishonest, and In its anxi J.
ETY. to injure the Commissioners treats
Its favorite committee unfairly. The
Gazette would have its readers believe
the tables copied above from its columns
were taken from the committees report,
whereas they are simply a rehash Of the
exploded lies circulated last summer, In
hope they would defeat Commissioner
Cope. The vouchers of the Commission
ers show that, of the S14l4 80 alleged to
have been paid Commissioner Cope S267
65 belonged to the previous year. and of
the $l2sl 80 alleged to have been paid
Commissioner Berry S274 95 belonged to
the previous year. The attention of the
81 900 receiver was called to that fact
months ago. but he persists In mislead>
ing his readers and libeling decent men.
With court house in process of con-
struction upon their hands, and all their
other duties, the Con missioners neces-
sarily had to be in session very often, and
were obliged to be at unusual expense
But, instead of suffering, the county has
been benefited by their vigilance. On
one occasion, which has been complain
ed of very loudly by the Gazstte, they
went to Columbus to consult with con-
tractors as to the custom in measuring
walls. A suit was pending with the
contractor for the masonry. About Sl2.-
600 was in controversy. and it was i'm
portant that they should fortify them
selves with testimony. This they did.
and won the suit. On another oscasion,
when agents of stone companies were
here with printed price lists, and when
the agents and the architect assured
them no reduction could be obtained,
the Commissioners went up to Cleveland
and succeeded In buying stone at saw
ing of $3.50 under the price offered.
So with the limestone base. A trip to
Columbus saved $3.50 In that item.
The fact that the expenditures by the
Commissioners for per diem and expen.
ses were larger last year than a few
years ago is chargeable wholly to the
fact that their predecessors had under
taken to build a 100000 court house
with 100000. The present Board is in
no way responsible for this. 1t ia leg
acy received from their Democratic
predecessors. 1t is their duty to the peo-
pie whom they have undertaken to
serve to see that no harm to the county
they can avert shall be done. This
they are striving to do. They are held
accountable for the proper performance
of the work as it progresses. The Ga
zette itself has been periodically railing
at them because it was not pushed. when
they we're using all the means within
their power to push it, and at the same
time to see that the county suffered no
harm at the hands of contractors.